Category: local spots

We took the boys to the beach a couple weeks ago and snapped some fun pictures of Ben’s first trip to the ocean. (Charlie’s 1 millionth trip) Ben slept the whole time in my handy ring sling, and in newborn life – that’s considered a success. Charlie on the other hand, tried to throw himself into the water, eat sand and wave at everyone he saw. We’re so lucky that we can take weekend trips to the beach in just a five minute car ride!

While everyone up north is reveling in the beauty that is SPRING after a long and cold winter, this weekend in Florida felt like summer. I think it’s here to stay. I’m not mad about it. Yet. Talk to me again in July and I may be singing a different tune.

Winter is just the best season here, but summer has its perks too. Ice cold beer on the patio. Popsicles. Trips to the beach every weekend. Evening walks to the water. Packing away every pair of jeans until September (I can’t even bear to look at pants in the summer).

And best of all, I have the whole summer off with my two boys to look forward to.

Now that Charlie is running around like a banshee and knowing his love of all things water related, we thought it was high time for a visit to the splash pad. Nearly all the local parks around us have one, so when he woke up from his nap on Sunday we threw on his swimmies, packed the kids in the car and drove five minutes up the road.

He was by far the youngest but also the most delighted person there. Mike wore his trunks to help the little man stay safe with all the big kids running around. He fell once, flat on his face, and had a big red mark on his eyebrow to prove it. He cried for a minute, got a snuggle hug from Mike and then wiggled out of his arms to go back to the water.

Ben and I were snug with the baby k’tan in the shade of a palm tree while the boys ran circles.

I have a feeling we’ll end up here lots of weekends this summer. We love our trips to the beach, but coming home without sand was pretty nice too.

We had the most glorious fall pumpkin filled weekend, trip to the pumpkin patch included. If I’m being completely honest, I was very distracted the whole trip by how hot it was. I couldn’t even look at the apple cider donuts! That part was unfortunate. BUT Charlie loving the pumpkins made it totally worth the trip! He also really loved picking up and examining every piece of hay lining the rows of pumpkins. His little face and the way he’s holding his dada’s hand in these pictures just makes me smile.

This place is always insane crowded when we make our annual exodus. I’m talking parking a mile away and walking kind of crowded. But we got smart this year and went right when they open at 9am. We got a reasonable parking spot, and only needed to eat one popsicle! We stayed just long enough for some pictures, a popsicle under the tiki hut, and to find the perfect little pumpkin to take home. It’s sitting in the middle of our kitchen table and will stay there until Thanksgiving – or until it gets soft. Whichever comes first. 🙂

As if we didn’t have enough fun this weekend, we took an adventure to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center up in Juno Beach on Sunday afternoon. It’s been on our list of places to visit for a while now, and I’m so happy we finally made our way up there!

They have a small aquarium inside that gives you a bit of an overview of the turtles you’re going to see outside, has a few indoor tanks (Charlie looooved watching the fish) and introduces you to some of the issues that sea turtles face in Florida. Mainly: trash. Lots and lots of trash that turtles eat. They’re indiscriminate between real food and fake food. If it comes near them, they eat it. So they get full on the plastic and forget to eat real food. As you can imagine, this causes problems.So Loggerhead is like a hospital for sea turtles. They get rehabilitated then released back into the ocean once they’re healthy enough.

This is Eloise, a 75 pound loggerhead who was found lethargic and unwell in the Atlantic. She’s been in her “hospital bed” at Loggerhead since March, and she’s well on her way to recovery. It was so amazing to see these massive sea turtles in real life! They had a variety of different turtles to see including Honda, a 150 pound loggerhead! So big!

It’s definitely making me think twice about my use of plastic versus more sustainable materials. These poor creatures! Think about all the turtles and marine life that aren’t being found or helped in time. I just saw this in the news the other day about a whale found dead off the coast of Thailand from ingesting 17 pounds of plastic bags. So sad.

Loggerhead also has nature trails and a beach for more outdoor fun. A huge perk is the free parking, even if you do just want to just pop over to the beach for the day! The Marinelife Center is donation based if you’re so inclined. It’s right by Juno Beach pier where you can fish, and they also have fishing classes for kids, summer camps, and events throughout the year! A friend told me that the sea turtle releases are the coolest thing. I’m definitely going to keep checking back for a release.

We ordered our food in the cramped little restaurant wondering to each other if there would be a table open on the back patio. Margarita or beer? Beer. The last time we were here, I was only weeks pregnant and I was still in the phase of having to remind myself that I couldn’t get a drink. Tacos or rice bowl? Tacos. Try two appetizers or an extra taco? Apps. Mike suggested trying a vegetarian taco which I immediately vetoed. Team decisions here. Choose meat for the team!

Charred corn two ways came out in little cardboard containers, one smeared with fried cheese and a spicy mayo and the other in a lime-y salad form. Another tray of steak and chicken tacos which mike spritzed with two wedges of lime. Mike and I looked up at each other from the meal and smiled. We sat outside on a bright yellow picnic bench with the cool ocean air surrounding us in a breeze. At 6:30, it’s still light out and will be until Charlie goes to bed in another hour.

Charlie stared longingly at the food and reached toward one of the containers of corn and grasped the little paper lining while I was taking a bite. Sneaky. He’s got a surprisingly strong grip. He pulled the paper right out and we dumped the corn salad directly into the container to save it. The other day I took him to the veggie market with me and I didn’t notice the sprig of parsley he had in his little fist until we were checking out.

We talked about Charlie, our pergola that needs replaced, work, this and that and what we have coming up. We eavesdropped on the table next to us. The son wants to go to Yale, and his painfully thin mom loves the art. We love to cook, so we don’t go out to eat often. But it was a treat to get ourselves put together for a dinner out.